Author Archives: Sebastian Marquez

Legend of the Fall (Ashfall Fossil Beds)

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

Lagerstatten present an interesting, if morbid, paradox. The very processes which leads to exquisite fossil preservation for appreciation and study, while quite fortuitous from our point of view, are also horrible, no good, very bad ones for the object of … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

An American Robin and a lament

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

Growing up in Chicago, American Robins (Turdus migratorius) were a favorite of mine. How could they not be? Robins are adaptable, resilient, and plentiful. As a little kid, they were an easy bird to observe even in the very urban … Continue reading →

Posted in Sharing the planet | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Let’s talk about: Olonā

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

In the 13 years that I’ve run Studia Mirabilium, I may have mentioned olonā (Touchardia latifolia) in passing a few times. Well today, let’s give olonā its due. Olonā, long revered for the high quality cordage it provides, may prove … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Snapshot: Old Hawaiian Camping Trip

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

We were given these old photos by a family acquaintance. I remember rummaging through some old photos albums when I saw one that said Koke`e. I can’t remember if the dates were closer to 1910 or the 1920’s. Some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural History | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Native Hawaiian Plants: An Overview

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

April has been deemed Native Hawaiian Plant Month for some years now. While I’ve done posts in the past on various social media platforms, I don’t think I’ve ever done an overview. Indeed, if you do a google search, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany | Tagged | Leave a comment

Overlooked and Underappreciated: O`ahu `Amakihi

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

For folks like me who dream of the fantastic extinct creatures of our recent past, I think we tend to overlook the creatures that are still alive today. I know I sometimes do. For all the marveling we do at … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A.I. future and our Megafaunal past

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

People have viewed the new A.I. generated art with trepidations. While I can see problems moving forward, I immediately started salivating when I heard you can ask a bot a prompt and in seconds it could generate something. Even though … Continue reading →

Posted in Sharing the planet | Tagged | 1 Comment

Snapshot: Philodoria moth

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

I was working up at the site recently when I came upon one of our neat micromoths. This species (possibly Philodoria splendida) uses `Ohi`a Lehua as a host plant. The larva mine the leaves before emerging as these pretty little … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals | Tagged | 1 Comment

Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #39 Lobelia hypoleuca

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

Lobelia hypoleuca *From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i

Posted in Botany | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Monk Seal babies of Waikiki

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

I had the privilege of seeing the monk seal pups in Waikiki the past few years. Seeing the young seals being raised by their mom adjacent to some of the most highly used shorelines in Hawai`i shows the challenges and … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals | Tagged | Leave a comment